Teen murder plot suspects appear in court

Friday

May 25, 2012 at 1:43 PMMay 29, 2012 at 5:44 AM

Beatriz E. Valenzuela, Staff Writer

VICTORVILLE • Three families nervously sat in the hallway of the Victorville juvenile court Friday, waiting to hear what would happen to their three children, all accused of plotting to kill one of the girl's mother earlier this week.

Although all linked together by the same alleged crime, the three groups of people hardly looked at or spoke to each other.

Their children — Ricardo Saldana, 14, Yesenia Lopez, 14, and the alleged ring leader, Jackie Salcido, 13 — are accused of attacking Salcido's mother early Tuesday morning as the woman, identified as Maria Angelica Aguirre, slept in home in the 8500 block of C Avenue as part of a reported murder plan, according to reports.

Saldana reportedly struck the victim in the head with a flashlight during Tuesday morning's attack, according to a discussion in the courtroom hallway between Saldana's lawyer and his family. It was also revealed the trio is charged with multiple serious charges including attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, burglary and poisoning. All three pleaded not guilty to the charges and will be tried in juvenile court.

A source close to the incident who asked not to be identified confirmed the information and added, the plan was for Saldana and Lopez to kill Aguirre and later in the day, Salcido would come home to discover her mother's body.

Lawyers for the teens would not comment on the case.

Still trying to wrap their heads around what had taken place only a few days prior, Salcido's parents spoke about their problems with Salcido while awaiting her case to be called. At one point, the two became involved in an elevated discussion where the 13-year-old's father said to Aguirre if she was a little more lenient, maybe their daughter would've been more trusting of her and things wouldn't have gone so far.

The picture of a mother trying to discipline her unruly daughter and an overindulgent father was echoed by Cathryn Morgan-Galloway, a woman who got to know the family over the last year.

"He seemed to spoil his angel and not his wife," Morgan-Galloway stated adding there were several times when Aguirre would attempt to set up boundaries for the young girl only to have her husband undermine her rules.

As a long-haul truck driver, the father would be home a few days a week, she said, and in that time he would undo any punishments Aguirre had laid out for Salcido.

Morgan-Galloway's daughter was reportedly bullied by Salcido for the last year both in school and online. Morgan-Galloway stated the Facebook attacks were so relentless, she and her husband went to Aguirre's tiny trailer to discuss the issues with the girl's mother.

Aguirre's older son translated for the couple and his mother and informed Morgan-Galloway and her husband they had all been struggling with the then-12-year-old juvenile.

"I don't think it's Mom's fault," Morgan-Galloway wrote. "She's a nice lady who tried but didn't have a lot of support from her husband."

Morgan-Galloway eventually filed a police report with San Bernardino County Sheriff's Hesperia station alleging Salcido threatened her daughter on Facebook. She took that report to the school district and Salcido was reportedly suspended for the cyber bullying offense.

While a motive has not been released in the case, sheriff's officials and family members stated Aguirre had recently begun enforcing harsher restrictions on the 13-year-old and that may have sparked the attack.

Beatriz E. Valenzuela may be reached at (760) 951-6276 or at BValenzuela@VVDailyPress.com.

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